Screenwriting

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In the Motion Picture industry, screenplays are usually presented in a standardized format. This format has been developed over the years in the Hollywood studio system in order to approximate a rule of thumb of one script page equaling one minute of movie screen time. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_Manual/Writing/Screenplay_Format

Movie Making Manual/Screenplay Format

The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. To do this Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works. He also analyzed a handful of non-French authors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations

The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations

The Screenwriting Formula: Why It Works and How to Use It

http://inktip.com/sa_article_page.php?cat=sa&scat=resources&pg=21 Written by: Rob Tobin, script doctor and writing coach Published: Feb 11, 2009

7 basic plots

The Seven Basic Plots

1.Overcoming the Monster
2.Rags to Riches
3.The Quest
4.Voyage and Return
5.Comedy
6.Tragedy
7.Rebirth
(And the unspoken basic plot : Mystery)

1. Overcoming the Monster

•The hero is called upon to face and overcome a terrible and deadly personification of evil.
•The Evil is…
–Heartless
–Egocentric
–Seemingly All-powerful
–Ultimately has a blind spot that renders it vulnerable


1. Overcoming the Monster
1.Anticipation Stage & ‘Call’
–We become aware of the monster from a distance
–We gradually learn of its reputation
–Monster casts shadow over community
–The hero experiences a “Call” to confront it
2.Dream Stage
–The hero makes preparations for battle
–For a while all seems to be going well
–We feel comfortable and immune from danger
3.Frustration Stage
–We come face to face with the Monster and its awesome power
–The hero seems tiny and alone
–The hero may fall into the monster’s clutches
–There seems only one outcome
4.Nigh by speedyf1 Nov 15